Nigeria is not called the giant of Africa just for its massive population but also the economic strength of the country. The nation also gained this reputation for being home to the tallest building in Africa with many expensive architectural beauties located mainly in the big cities such as the Federal Capital Territory, and Lagos. Amongst these are government-owned and private companies and enterprises. Since some of these structures are also among the tallest in the continent, it stands the nation out as one of the most developed as well. This article covers 20 of these buildings based on their height.
These Are The Tallest Buildings in Nigeria Right Now
20. UBA House
- Height: 272 ft
- Floor: 22
- Location: Lagos
- Year it was built: Unspecified
This is a 22-storey building constructed to serve as the Headquarters of the United Bank of Africa. The building is one of the iconic edifices in Marina, Lagos State, and is noticeable from any angle within the vicinity. Since its completion, there has been no reported case of fire outbreak and it has not been renovated.
19. National Oil Headquarters
- Height: 272 ft
- Floor: 23
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 1984
The National Oil Headquarters was completed in 1984. The building served as the Petroleum Ministry Headquarters in Nigeria until the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation building was completed and the operation moved to Abuja in 1992.
18. Eko Court
- Height: 289 ft
- Floor: 24
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: Unspecified
The Eko Court is one of the most popular residential buildings in Victoria Island, Lagos, precisely on Kofo Abayomi Street. The Court Complex as it is fondly called consists of Court A, Court B, and Court C, all of which are residential towers.
The three towers stand at the same height and are arranged in a semi-circle. However, they have been a subject of a long legal battle between the state government and late Chief J. O. Adeyemi-Bero (a former permanent secretary). Though in 2012, it was concluded that the buildings be handed over to the Lagos State Government, Eko Court A, B, and C have continued to endure ownership claims between the two parties to date.
The towering buildings were constructed by Modulor Group Architects but it is not known when they were completed or started. Also, there are no reports of renovations since construction and there have not been reported cases of fire outbreaks or damage to the building since it was constructed.
17. Civic Center Tower
- Height: 300 ft
- Floor: 17
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2015
Developed by Quantum Development, Civic Center Tower is strategically situated on Ozumba Mbadiwe Road & Adetokumbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island. It is one of the most iconic buildings in Lagos with 17 floors.
The 15 story building is known for its unique structure, and popular for its appearance in music videos and Nigerian movies. With a standard Grand Banquet Hall, a three-level car parking lot measuring 16,000 m2, four lifts, Air Handling Unit (AHU) positioned on each floor, Panoramic View Hall, Floating Restaurant, and Meeting Rooms, you can tell the Civic Center Tower was built to offer hospitable services for both national and international events.
16. CBN Headquarters
- Height: 308 ft
- Floor: 11
- Location: Abuja
- Year of construction: 2002
This building is definitely one of the most protected buildings in Nigeria, because of the economic importance and purpose it serves. The CBN Headquarters is an 11 storey building located at the heart of Abuja, the nation’s capital. It was completed in 2002 to take over from the CBN House in Lagos, which has previously served as the apex bank. There has been no record of major renovations since its completion, although the generator house which caught fire in 2018 has seen some improvements following the fire incident.
15. Great Nigeria House
- Height: 312 ft
- Floor: 22
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: Unspecified
Located at Martins Street City, Great Nigeria House is one of the oldest skyscrapers in Nigeria. It stands tall at 95m (312ft) and has 22 floors. Although the building suffered a wildfire that damaged parts of it in 2013, it remains among the tallest in the nation. The Great Nigerian House which is close to a major market in Lagos, Balogun, was built to house the MainStreet Bank of Nigeria but also acted as a warehouse for trading activities.
14. CBN House
- Height: 330 ft
- Floor: 19
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2013
The CBN House was built in 2013 to serve as the headquarters for economic decisions in the country. The iconic crystal blue building served as the headquarters of the apex bank in Nigeria until 2002 when it was moved to Abuja, the new nation’s capital. The structure which is located in the heart of Lagos Central Business District has 19 floors, and stands at 100m (330ft), making it one of the tallest buildings in Nigeria.
13. Independence House
- Height: 338 ft
- Floor: 23
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 1960
Independence building got its name from the fact that it was completed in 1960 when Nigeria attained its independence from the British as goodwill to support the country’s colonial freedom. On this note, the 25-story office tower was earmarked as the first rising building in Nigeria. The skyscraper which is located west of Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan Lagos was constructed to serve as the Ministry of Defense Headquarters commonly known as Defence House. It has since housed major corporations. Later in 1993, there was a fire eruption in the building and this damaged some parts of the Defense House which were later renovated.
12. InterContinental Lagos
- Height: 344 ft
- Floor: 22
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2013
The building is officially known as InterContinental Hotel & Resorts and is part of a long list of the InterContinental Hotels Group cut across major cities in the world. The 22-floor building stands at 344 ft tall and upon its completion in 2013, it has been consecutively ranked amongst the tallest buildings/hotels in not just Nigeria but also Africa. The building comprises iconic Club InterContinental which is located on the 21st floor, conference and meeting areas on the 3rd floor, a business center, an exclusive boardroom, 4 restaurants, and 3 bars.
Although there has been controversy surrounding food poisoning around the Adelaide (Australia) and Beijing branch of the hotel, there has been none of such cases nor fire outbreak in the Nigeria branch.
11. Cocoa House
- Height: 344 ft
- Floor: 26
- Location: Oyo
- Year of construction: 1965
The popular Cocoa House is at the heart of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state. The building was completed in 1965 and as of then, held the record for the tallest building in tropical Africa for its height of 105 meters. It was also known to be the first skyscraper in West Africa. Previously named Ile Awon Agbe, it was named the Cocoa House because it was built on revenue made from sales of crops such as cocoa, rubber, and timber. In 1985, the 26-storey building was gutted by fire as a result of an electrical malfunction and was closed for public use until it was renovated in 1992.
10. Ministry of Communication Building
- Height: 358 ft
- Floor: 30
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 1979
The Ministry of Communication building was originally built to be in charge of Nigeria postal activities as its headquarters. It was initially called the NIPOST building and stands at 358 ft tall. It is one of the oldest government buildings in Nigeria and has not undergone renovations caused by fire incidents.
9. WTC Tower 1
- Height: 360 ft
- Floor: 24
- Location: Abuja
- Year of construction: 2016
There are several World Trade Centers in Nigeria, but the majority are in the nation’s capital. The World Trade Center Towers are made up of 6 towers that glorify the beauty of Abuja as one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. World Trade Center 1 was built along with the World Trade Center 2. Thus, construction began in 2013 and was due to be completed by 2015, but for the crane slip that damaged the building in 2014. It was however completed in 2016 and has not undergone further renovations.
8. Black Pearl Tower
- Height: 371 ft
- Floor: 25
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2017
Just like most of the residential buildings in Eko Atlantic City, the Black Pearl Tower is an amazing structure. Work began in 2013 on the building and by 2017, it was completed. The building was constructed to beautify the city and serve as a worthy property to acquire in such an environment. The Black Pearl Tower houses 25-floor apartments, containing 120 residential apartments. There has been no incident of natural or artificial disaster so far.
7. Eko Tower II
- Height: 387 ft
- Floor: 27
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2016
Today, there are several towers springing up in Eko Atlantic City. The Eko Tower II is one of the magnificent structures that beautifies the city. Construction on the building began in 2013 and by 2016, the structure was officially completed and open for use. It was built to serve as an ideal property to soothe the different hotel stripes in the environment.
6. WTC Tower 2
- Height: 390 ft
- Floor: 25
- Location: Abuja
- Year of construction: 2016
The World Trade Center 2 in Abuja is a beautiful edifice that was completed in 2016 and houses a lot of offices. The building was initially constructed to afford the capital city the luxury of Grade A office spaces. Upon its completion in 2016, the structure joined the 323 locations in 89 countries of such structure, starting in 1970 with the inauguration of the first World Trade Center in New York City. There has been no result of any fire outbreak since 2016 when it was completed.
However, sometime in 2014, when the building still under construction, there was a crane mishap and it damaged some parts of the building and delayed its completion.
5. Union Bank Building
- Height: 407ft
- Floor: 28
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 1991
The Union Bank building, also known as the Union Bank headquarters is one of the tallest buildings in Nigeria. It was initially constructed to serve as the Union Bank headquarters in Nigeria and it’s no surprise that it is a skyscraper. In its third decade since completion, there has been no report that a fire razed the building.
4. Champagne Pearl Tower
- Height: 440 ft
- Floor: 30
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2017
In 2017, the Champagne Pearl Tower was completed in Eko Atlantic City. It automatically became the second tallest building in Nigeria with 30 floors, behind Necom House that houses 32 floors.
The building was constructed to serve as a relaxation and luxury spot to have a nice view of the city of Lagos. Multiple reports have it that construction began in early 2015 and in 2017, the building was completed. To date, there hasn’t been any severe case of fire outbreak.
3. Eko White Pearl Tower
- Height: 443 ft
- Floor: 31
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 2017
Amongst the Eko Pearl Towers is the awesome White Pearl Tower that stands at a straight 443 ft. Other four skyscrapers in the complex include Eko Black Pearl, Champagne Pearl, Indigo Pearl, and Aqua Pearl. The White Pearl Tower building was built to serve as a residential abode for the elite occupants of Eko Atlantic City. While all the buildings ranging from 24 to 33 floors are still under construction, White Pearl Tower was completed in 2017 and has been ranked as one of the tallest buildings in Nigeria. All the projects started in 2013 with completion expected to be in 2016, but not all the towers were able to attain this schedule.
2. Necom House
- Height: 520 ft
- Floor: 32
- Location: Lagos
- Year of construction: 1979
For about four decades, the Necom House was the tallest building in Nigeria. The building was constructed to serve as the communication headquarters in Nigeria, initially known as NITEL but now Necom. It was built in 1979 and stands at 520 ft with 32 floors. There have also been timely renovations on the building, necessitated by fire outbreaks in 1983 and 2015 respectively.
1. Millennium Tower
- Height: 557.7 ft
- Floor: 42
- Location: Abuja
- Year of construction: 2015
Upon completion of the building in 2016, the Millennium Tower which stands at 170 meters (560 ft) became the tallest artificial structure in Nigeria. The building designed by Manfredi Nicoletti was structured to house the Nigerian Culture Center and part of the Nigeria National Complex. Construction on the building had begun in 2006 and by 2015 it was completed and commissioned in 2016.
Notable Mentions of Tallest Buildings in Nigeria and Their Height Measurements (Under Construction)
- Abuja World Trade Centre Hotel Tower (Height: 518 ft, Floor: 37, Location: Abuja)
- Oban Tower (Height: 418 ft, Floor: 29, Location: Lagos)
- Orun Tower (Height: 415 ft, Floor: 29 Location: Lagos)
- Zuna Tower (Height: 410 ft, Floor: 29 Location: Lagos)